AGP commissions study to win next year’s polls

GUWAHATI: The Asom Gana Parishad (AGP), which has been facing electoral defeats since the 2001 Assembly polls, has roped in a research-cum-consultancy firm to suggest ways to defeat Congress in the Assembly elections next year. Congress has won all major elections in Assam since 2001.

AGP, which completed 25 years of inception recently, is tight-lipped about the identity of the organisation that is carrying out the survey on its behalf. The party has paid Rs 35 lakh for the exercise. The organisation is at present doing field work in different areas of the state.

AGP president Chandra Mohan Patawary said, “AGP has engaged an organisation to do a survey of Assembly constituencies from where our candidates will be able to win the coming Assembly polls. We hope that with the blessing of the people we will defeat Congress in the 2011 Assembly elections."

AGP has snapped its electoral ties with BJP. Both parties had struck an electoral understanding prior to the Lok Sabha polls in 2009. Party insiders said in both 2001 Assembly elections and 2009 Lok Sabha elections, AGP managed to transfer votes to BJP candidates but the reverse did not happen.

Insiders feel that the party's alliance with other regional parties will ensure it victory in 2011. The high-powered committee of the party comprising party president Chandra Mohan Patawary leaders Prafulla Kumar Mahanta, Brindaban Goswami and Atul Bora are scouting for regional parties with which AGP will have tie-up in the next election.